


Take Care

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Beaches, Dream Bubbles, Feelings Jams, Gen, M/M, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 03:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5852236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I don’t need t’ talk.”</p><p>“Bull. Fucking. Shit. You need to talk and you want to. I pay attention too, you whining fuck-squatting biscuit shit. Now keep talking.”</p><p>Eridan suppressed a reflexive snarl when the Vantas gripped his forearm, but still jumped back, pure indignation and offense on his face. Karkat didn’t let go. If anything, he held on more.</p><p>“You need t’ talk too. All hell knows if I do, you’d need it more.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Care

Eridan laid with his back against the sand. Eyes closed, he could almost pretend the heat was a different kind of relief. Something like another set of arms and legs, not his own. Cold sea foam came to curl against his ankles like chains, before even that imaginary attachment slid away.

It looked like today would just be yet another, filled with bitter brooding and sand falling down his pants. Eridan couldn’t stand being dead any more than being alive. It was so boring. If he wanted to sit alone all day he might as well have just kept to his corners of that godforsaken meteor.

With all those years behind him now – at least, that’s what it felt like, – he’d never really found time to resent the way he’d gone out. Anyone with five minutes of him under their tab could guess he’d either die dramatically, or throwing a tantrum. Where his demise actually fell, didn’t matter to him. He was dead. Dead, and alone. Not like that was new.

Eridan gave a disgruntled sigh as he opened his eyes, rubbing his sleeved arm across them to clear the blur. Somewhere else on the beach, he’d dropped his glasses. Farsighted as ever, he could see clear into the distance, but not what was directly in his face. Literally and metaphorically, he guessed.

What a waste of a poetic thought – there wasn’t anyone to tell it to.

His eyes closed again. A few paces away, someone else crept through the bubble. Rather, they were pulled in and evidently used to this scuffle, kept on keeping on.

Karkat shuffled across the little bit of grass to keep his shoes from getting sand in them. Taking a split second to admire it, the crisp blue and gold image was momentarily interrupted by a splash of grey skin and violet. Karkat stopped, his fists clenching in his hoodies pockets. Eridan? Looked like it.

If it’d been beating in my first place, Karkat’s heart would have stopped. Feferi and Kanaya still burned heavily, vividly etched into his memory. The wands, the blood. The lonely exposition of a nihilistic drama prince had never left him.

Before he could comprehend it, Karkat was moving towards Eridan with heat in his glare. The Vantas wasn’t going to go easy. He’d promised to tear this fool another couple holes the last time they spoke. Of course, now they were dead, and what could be done? Karkat couldn’t kill him.

For more than one reason.

But he kept moving towards the lazing seadweller, knuckles paling, teeth grit in a grimace. It was Eridan who noticed, sitting up with a look of clogged up confusion.

“Kar?” He questioned, voice older, but not anymore mature than it’d been at six.

“No, dumbass. It’s obviously the miracle of red-suit lard on twelfth perigees eve. Who else would I be?” Karkat snarked back, bristling at the verbal contact, though he’d been the one to initiate it. Well, technically.

Eridan gave him a look, sitting up fully now. He leaned back, holding his weight on his hands, eyes trained on Karkat.

“Long time no fuckin’ see, Vantas. Still barrelin’ about on that crud scrapin’ attitude. The hell’d I screw over now?” Eridan retorted sarcastically.

“Don’t play cute with me, asshole. You know exactly what you did.” Karkat snarled, the air around his hands wavering a second as he brought his sickle out from its deck.

Eridan’s expression twisted into a half-formed smirk, a roll of his eyes and his hand dragging his hair for that extra measure of aloofly sassed douche. It wasn’t like he could die again. Science didn’t work like that. But who would he be to turn away a duel, if anything?

“I guess. If you’re lookin’ to fight, at least you aren’t a liar like the rest a’ them common muckblooded street rats. But bargin’ in with your sickles out like you’d attack – S'a bit forward, Vantas.”

“Jesus stuck in holy hell, I almost fucking forgot how quickly you’ll start that cranium wrecking solicitation bullshit. Listen up, and listen as well as those crud encrusted earfins of yours can. I’m not flirting with you. This isn’t pitch. I am going to, literally gut you.” Karkat rampaged back at the finboy.

Eridan gave him an analyzing stare, like he was reading into him.

“If you were gonna attack you’d have your own gut filled a’ bullets by now.” Eridan replied crisply, sparing one hand to push his glasses back up his nose. They both knew what Eridan was capable of. And in the bubbles, where he could just kill kiss kill? Don’t give the boy a gun.

“If you were going to shoot me, you’d have out your gun.” Karkat said cautiously, running out of momentum in pure adrenalinic rage. Still angry, just not quite steroid angry. After all, this was Eridan. He wasn’t sure what that was meant to mean – Of course it was Eridan. Why did it matter? What made him different?

“C’mon, Kar. You haven’t got the mind too. If you were goin’ ta get about shankin’ anythin’ today, it’d be in grubbish tears.” He started, flippantly.

Karkat tried to interrupt, only to be cut back off.

“That or some high quality rage-shittin’.” Eridan added, his tone thoughtful. His pale eyes turned to train on Karkat’s own.

“You think I’ve got less'a clue about you than I actually do, Vantas, an’ you can’t lie t’ me. I pay attention, hunters habit. I actually can’t even say I’m not pretty fuckin’ offended at this assumin’ assploy.”

Karkat grimaced, baring his teeth. The tips of his ears burned in embarrassment. How could Eridan of all people know his habits?

“I bet you’re not even really that mad.” Eridan quipped.

That one line is what restarted that anger Karkat needed. His sickle was roughly thrown to the side, dead eyes ablaze. Eridan raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe I won’t kill you. Maybe I was bluffing the everliving hellish fuck out of everything I said, when I said that I would.”  
Karkat growled, stalking closer to Eridan. Eridan, who wasn’t even put off. Who he hated and admired for staring him right in the eyes. For talking with Death and not even blinking. This ass ‘Prince’ who’d gotten over dying like he’d expected it.

“But don’t you ever, fucking ever say I’m not mad. You could live a million pretentious ass lives and never comprehend how much I want to tear you back into two. Nothing you can ever do will change that.” Karkat snapped, right in Eridan’s face now. Stupid fucking Eridan Ampora, who was still giving him that condescending smirk.

“Do you even care? Did you ever? I mean, for all you talked of her – that mountain sized pedestal you put her on.” Karkat questioned. This seemed to make Eridan’s disposition crack. He fell back into that stoicism, the only sight of emotion in his downward tilted eyebrows.

“You’ll be talkin’ out y’ ass if you don’t wisen up an’ shut your filthy trap.” He said plainly.

Karkat paused, watching Eridan’s expression change. His own faltered. It wasn’t exactly pity – not even nearly, actually. But Karkat couldn’t bring himself to look at Eridan. The seadweller had squared his shoulders, and turned to face the water. This left Karkat standing behind him.

It was a good few minutes before Karkat sat down, in the most aggressive looking way he could muster. Eridan didn’t move his eyes from where they’d fixed on to the horizon.

Behind white eyes, there was a girl. One with a cheering voice and flowing hair. Who he’d – he did. Loved? Maybe. It’d always felt like that. But he’d killed her. That wasn’t a loving thing.

Eridan pulled his knees up to his chest, tucking his head into them. Honest? He didn’t know whether he cared or not.

Karkat looked at him, disgruntled.

“Buck up, Ampora.” He sighed. “You brought this shit on yourself. I mean, do I really even have to tell you that? I really fucking hope you already knew.”

Eridan didn’t move, but spoke in a monotone.

“I don’t expect the likes a’ you to be able t’ grasp a’ inch outta all what we had. An’ for all the fuckin’ muck pourin’ through their veins – every drop couldn’t amount t’ the complexes that we had, me an’ Fef.”

“Bein’ with her was somethin’ else. Couldn’t tell which way my pusher was pullin’ half the time. More n’ that, usually. I’d tell you a’ imagine walkin’ sweeps through fool’s gold, n’ finally gettin’ to a single diamond.” Eridan ended.

“She wasn’t a rock, Eridan. She was a person.” Karkat spoke.

“Yeah, no bloody fuckin’ duh. Get this one a’ Olympic medal. I know that.” Eridan grumbled.

“Hey, man. Don’t pull that weeks old hardened horseshit with me. We are going to talk about this.”

“I don’t need t’ talk.”

“Bull. Fucking. Shit. You need to talk and you want to. I pay attention too, you whining fuck-squatting biscuit shit. Now keep talking.” Karkat said gruffly.

Eridan suppressed a reflexive snarl when the Vantas gripped his forearm, but still jumped back, pure indignation and offense on his face. Karkat didn’t let go. If anything, he held on more.

“You need t’ talk too. All hell knows if I do, you’d need it more.” Eridan said.

The silently instigated staring contest was drawn out on their stubbornness. Neither of them looked away, neither gave in. They sat and glared until, suddenly, they’d moved. And in a foreign blur, the boys were sitting in a tangle against the rocks clumping by their side. Words flowed and slid together in messy sentences, neither of them wanting to talk or stop talking.

Everything poured over into the clutching mangle of limbs. They were trying to find some way to sit, to face each other – but to look away, be indifferent. This caused the constant squirming, the fighting to keep moving around so they wouldn’t have to face it.

Eventually, after much ado about who’d sit where, they ended up in an easier position. Eridan’s back against the rocks, Karkat’s back against Eridan’s. They could still be this close, and avoid eye contact.

“Go back to what you were saying.” Karkat said, out of breath and patience from all the moving.

Eridan grouched back, though he fell back into talking after he realized that all that ruckus would have been for nothing if they didn’t talk.

“Was your go.” He huffed.

“I don’t have anything to say to whatever shit you were spewing, so just keep talking. You were saying something about Feferi.” Karkat leaned back against Eridan, tense.

“All I meant, y'know. She was better n’ all a you finless crumbs. Not a thin’ on her I’d have done off with, save that damned naivety. I knew best for her, Kar. But she was so… You know? You don’t. Jus’, somethin’. I couldn’t control her an’ she’d get ‘erself in trouble without me. Trouble like meetin’ you lot.

I sent myself through the shredder for her, near daily, me an’ my gun. Could'a died, an’ I did it for her. Her lusus an’ mine, kept ‘em both fed.” Eridan mumbled, head falling to rest his forehead in the mess of Karkat’s hair.

“You wanted to be Orphaner, though, didn’t you?” Karkat frowned.

“A’ course I did,” Eridan replied.

“Then what, exactly, are you complaining about?” Karkat scoffed.

“Wants, an’ shit that’s good or bad for a troll are different fuckin’ things. Yeah, I wanted it. She couldn’t do it, an’ I figured I might as all get trainin’ if I was goin’ to see her get that throne.” Eridan grunted.

“Why couldn’t she?” Karkat lifted an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t a’ let her, fuckin’ dumbass. D'you even know how dangerous that’d been? Gods forbid she even step near that life, you’d not recognize ‘er comin’ out the other end.” Eridan fussed.

“I believe that.” Karkat said, sighing heavily.

“How could you? You say you know like you went through it, don’t fuckin’ say it like that. You don’t know shit, don’t act like it!” Eridan snapped.

Karkat reached up, still staring forward and held his hand against Eridan’s cheek. Not quite a proper pap, but comforting enough.

“Get your h–,” Eridan was cut off, this time by a real pap, and Karkat’s other hand coming up to cover his mouth.

“Shut up, Eridan. I know what the fuck I’m talking about. I might not have done all that shit, but I know that you were at least a few notches less of an asshole squidfucker before you dropped your sloppy wizard shtick and got your hands on a gun. I almost prefer prepubescent you.” Karkat steamed. A second later, he jumped and cradled his hand. Eridan had bitten him. Skin hadn’t broken, but it still stung.

“Eridan what the fuck!”

“I told you to keep your hands off a’ me, didn’t I? I won’t even go apologizin’, you mongrel. You deserved that.” Eridan huffed.

Karkat rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Whatever, douchenozzle. I was just trying to make a point.”

“An’ you never did, so you can fuck right the hell off, land pest. I don’t need a psychoanalysis from th’ common likes a’ you, or anybody else.”

“Bullshit. That’s Rose’s wacky human thing – If it’s any consolation, I honestly don’t give enough of a shit to do something like that. Now would you shut your goddamned foaming whinechute. Talk.”

“I don’t got anythin’ else t’ say. S'not like I was aimin’ to make a point, Kar. You told me t’ vent an’ I’m all spoken out. You’re goin’ now.”

“Well there’s nothing I need to get off my chest, at all. Nothing. So I guess that makes us done here, Ampora. Because I don’t have anything to say,” Karkat glared forward with a tense form.

“Weren’t y'still trippin’ around with that sludge veined clownfish b'fore you kicked th’ can?” Eridan nuzzled further into Karkat’s hair, slowly matching the faint purr he heard from Karkat.

“Gamzee? Yeah, I guess I fucking was.” Karkat grumbled.

“Last I heard he wasn’t such a’ easy charge, an’ comin’ from yours truly – You can talk about all a’ that mess an’ drama if you want,”

“No.” Karkat answered, gruff.

“Come th’ hell on I told you mine, you’ve got t’ say yours now.”

“How about we leave it at, apparently, I’m just some cretinous shitbagging clusterfuck with a thing for insane, purple blooded nookstains. I might need to see a doctor about this condition. That good enough for you?”

Eridan sighed heavily, feeling drowsy and at least a little less heavy hearted than usual. For now, that was good enough for him. They both went quiet, curled up on each other as the memory of the sun slipped under the water. Little by little, golden dots of stars began to form and sparkle.

Under the gaze of Alternia’s moons, the scent and sound of ocean, the two boys drifted off to sleep in each others arms. Through the shield of sleepiness, Karkat mumbled.

“I still don’t forgive you…”

But Eridan, glowing with natural bioluminescence, was already purring with sleep, arms held securely around Karkat.

Karkat sighed and twisted his body so he could curl back against Eridan more conformably, both of them on their sides under the barrier of rocks and ivy.

Karkat watched him for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and laying his head back down and murmuring,

“Goodnight, asshole.”


End file.
